The Old Jedi and the New
by Thecourier7
Summary: The Resistance make a few much needed allies, allies previously thought to have been dead. Along the way Rey and Finn find out more about themselves and train to bring balance to the force. Will they be able to stop Kylo Ren and the First Order, or will the First Order plunge the Galaxy into despair.
1. The Transmission

"Rey, Rey you need to come to Oss..."Rey woke up with a start. She had been hearing this voice and dreaming of a library since she cut off the force bond with Ben. At first she thought it was Ben calling to her and perhaps it was. At least at first. This voice sounded older and grew more desperate with each passing night. Still she didn't know if this was one of Ben's tricks. "I need to stop calling him that" she thought. Kylo Ren had chosen his side and betrayed her trust. For a while she felt bad for cutting off the force bond, then she thought of the people of the Hosnian System. Anger filled her heart. Even if he didn't give the order how many species were eradicated because of the First Order? "Rey, you're need in the war council" Rey Jumped. It was C3P0 . She had forgotten Leia wanted to see her. "Tell Leia I'll be there in ten minutes" She replied. She got ready and went down to the meeting room.

When Rey got there Leia, Finn and a few others were having an intense discussion. "Are you sure General Organa? It could be a trap." "Of course I'm sure, Luke trusted them and told me where they were. He's known these people since you were toddlers." "But what if Luke was wrong, and they did truly die? We'd be going straight to our deaths""What are you talking about?" Rey interjected. Everyone turned to her. "Last night we got a transmission from a group claiming to have taught alongside Luke from before Kylo and the Knights of Ren went rogue. We thought everyone except Luke was massacred, but apparently a group of Jedi escaped. They tried to contact Luke but he had cut himself off from the force, and I was dealing with a lot. They want to help train you and Finn." Leia explained. "Finn?" Rey asked. "It appears Finn is force sensitive as well." Leia replied. "It does make sense. It takes a strong will to break First Order Brainwashing, and an even stronger one to flee with little aid." Leia pointed out. "I still think it's a trap" Finn exclaimed. "Why pick now to contact us and not before the Hosnian System was destroyed, or before Rey went to find Luke?" "Maybe it was too dangerous, or maybe they were recovering from feedback of the systems destruction. Either way Rey should watch the transmission and decide for herself whether it's a trap" Leia said.

The transmission started and a familiar voice started speaking. "This is Master Hawk, calling on behalf of the last Jedi, I have a message for the two resistance members Rey and Finn. A few other masters and I trained with Luke before the massacre at (Jedi Temple) at the hands of his nephew Kylo Ren. We went into hiding, for two years, but we couldn't ignore the suffering of the Universe. My fellow survivors and I started searching the galaxy for force sensitive individuals and training them at secret locations and have been building a library of Jedi teachings. Our numbers have gradually been growing, but when the Hosnian System was destroyed we knew we could no longer hide in the shadows. We want to train you both in the ways of the force. I know you think this is a trap but I can prove its not. Meet us at the old Jedi Library on Ossus. There we can prove to you it isn't. May the Force be with You"

The transmission stopped. "You look pale is something wrong?" Leia asked with concern in her voice. "I've heard his voice in dreams telling me to go to Ossus. I thought it was your son but I think it was him, trying to call me there" Rey replied. "It still could be one of his tricks" Finn pointed out. "At first I thought so, but now I don't think it is. I think we should go to Ossus. We need answers and all the help we can get." "And if it is a trap?" asked a young woman who Finn said was named Rose."We can send someone down with an open communicator, and if it is they can warn everyone." suggested Poe. "I'll do it" said a Human woman standing next to Leia. "I still dont think this is a good idea. There are so few of us left as is and we can't risk anymore lives" A Twi'lek pointed out. An intense argument broke out between everyone, until Leia finally was able to silence everyone. "I think there should be a vote. C3P0 please count. Who thinks we should not send Adrianna to Ossus?" about half the room rose their hands. "20" Gasped C3P0. "General that's half the ship" he exclaimed as he turned to Leia. "I'm assuming the other half of you think she should" The rest nodded. "C3P0 R2 and BB8 what do you think?" Asked Leia. "There is to much of a risk my vote is no" C3P0 remarked. BB8 and R2 both beeped angrilly. "They voted yes" Poe remarked. "I guess that settles it. Adrianna get your communicator ready."


	2. Introductions and Revelations

Adrianna was nervous. She hadn't seen her master in person in many years and even when they did speak through the force he seemed distant. While She and a few others joined the resistance, he stayed behind to continue teaching younglings the ways of the force. "Remember the code" he'd always say. Adrianna smiled, then remembered when he started contacting her more frequently. This was around the time the rumors of Starkiller Base started. Rumors which turned out to be true. A few weeks after the first rumors started she told Leia about her past with Luke and the Gray Jedi."I know. Did you really think I'd have forgotten you?" Leia remarked. "You tried to help my son before the massacre". Adrianna remembered Kylo and bowed her head. She and the other teachers tried to stop his descent to the dark side but only made it worse. "Master Fry never forgave himself." "Well neither had my brother. He needs to get over it soon. I have a feeling something terrible is going to happen." Adrianna nodded in agreement.

Master Hawk helped come up with the plan almost immediately after recovering from the Hosnian system was destroyed. One of the masters who joined the resistance would volunteer to go to Ossus to prove it wasn't a trap. Adrianna was surprised to be the only one who volunteered but it needed to be done.

"Are You Ready?" Asked Talik Vrei. "Yes my love". Adrianna Kissed Talik goodbye and walked to the pod. She was surprised they were able to find the money for an escape pod for the falcon but was grateful that they did. She got in and went to Ossus. When she got out she saw a figure standing in front of the library. She gripped her blaster and walked towards it. The moment it got into view she grabbed her communicator and gave the ok. She then ran and embraced Master Fry. "It's so good to see you in person again" exclaimed Fry. "I was going to say the same thing" Adrianna Replied.

Right as they stopped hugging the falcon appeared carrying Rey Finn and a few of the others. "I suppose you want me to properly introduce myself" said Derek. "It would make sense" said Rey. "I am Master Derek Hawk, a Gray Jedi" "Gray Jedi?" Asked Finn. "A Force user who uses both the light and dark sides but is committed to neither." replied Derek. "Why did you call us here?" Asked Rey. "I want to help train the two of you in the ways of the light side. Without the Jedi there can be no balance." Derek said. "Why didn't you contact us sooner? Rey was stuck on Jakku and I was stuck in the First Order. And where were you when the Hosnian System was destroyed???" Exclaimed Finn. "We tried to find you and other force users but it was to dangerous to contact either of you" "What do you mean?" Asked Rey. "I'll explain the best I can. Many years ago a few others and I trained under Luke Skywalker. Once he taught us all we knew we started training more force users. One day he brought his nephew, Leia's son Ben, to train with us. He was the most powerful force user I'd seen at the time but there was a darkness in him from the start. Every time we brought it up to Luke he was convinced that he could stop him from turning. He convinced a small number of students to join his cause, and the night Luke finally confronted him there was a misunderstanding, then Kylo used it as an excuse to attack the temple and slaughter those who didn't join him." "Except you" said Finn. "And few others. A small group of us sensed the attack and evacuated as many as we could. Unfortunately Ren already killed or converted quite a few. You two were a part of the younglings we saved." Explained Derek. "What do you mean?" Rey and Finn Asked. "You two were students at Luke's school. I doubt you'd remember. We had to separate you and the rest of the younglings in order to keep you safe. They found Finn and one other but overall most of you were safe." "What about me?" Rey exclaimed. "Over the years the other Jedi and I have suspected for some time that you were the child of Luke" "What?" "Luke told us where he got every youngling came from, every one but you."


	3. Questions and more introductions

"What!!??" Rey had exclaimed.

"It's not true. He would have told me!!!"

"Search your feelings. You know it to be true." Derek replied.

"Did you just quote what Lukes father said to him when he found out?" asked Finn.

"...Yes" Derek replied slightly ashamed.

"You still should" He remarked.

"Its true" Said Rey. "How do you know?" Asked Finn.

"I just do" she replied. "I have a question for you Master Hawk" Finn.

"Ask away" Hawk replied.

"Why didn't you get me out of the First Order? I was stolen and forced to do their dirty work for years! I wasn't even given a name until I escaped!!!" Finn said angrily. "We tried but Ren always sensed us coming. Many Jedi lost lives in attempts to rescue you. Not rescuing either of you has always been some of our greatest regrets." Derek replied sadly.

"We? Where are the rest of you?" asked Finn still somewhat angry.

"A few other teachers and younglings are in the Library, but most of the Gray Jedi joined the Resistance." As Derek Hawk said this, Talik, Adrianna, and a few members of the resistance approached him.

"You guys are Gray Jedi?" Rey asked clearly surprised.

"Yes. Many of the members of the Gray Jedi are doing missions for the resistance. We did lose Jedi in the destruction of the Hosnian System though." Adrianna replied solemnly. Adrianna was one of the recruiters for the Outer Rim. She was dating Talik, the engineer and apparently another Jedi. Rey and Finn looked at the others. Most of the rest of the Jedi were human but there were a few non human. Master Hawk talked to them and after a while most of them went back to the Falcon. Only Talik and Adrianna stayed.

"Let's go inside." Adrianna suggested.

Finn and Rey gasped when they walked in the Library. "I've never seen this many books in one place" Rey remarked.

"This library was in disrepair when we found it. It took us many years to rebuild and repair it."

"You've done an excellent job" Finn admitted.

"Thank You" said Hawk. "Master Panteer can you introduce Finn and Rey to the other Jedi?"

"Yes Master Hawk." Replied Adrianna. Arianna led the, into a hall and into what appeared to be a council room. There were about five people wearing gray cloaks. Not including Derek Talik and Adrianna, there was human two Togrutas one Twi'lek and a Wookie.

"These are the masters who stayed to train the younglings." Whispered Adrianna.

"I'm Master Jaqen Alde" said the Human. The Wookie introduced herself as Sahlu.

"I am Ann Doneeta" Said the Twi'lek.

"I am Zashta Mavror" said the green Togruta.

"And I am Dasha Tano" said the Blue one.

"It is nice to meet you" Rey said.

"It is nice to finally meet you two as well." said Jaqen.

"You both look tired." Ann remarked.

"Zashta show them to their rooms".

"Ok" Replied Zashta. Zashta showed them to their rooms. They discussed the history of the Jedi and Ossus. They finally got to their rooms a few minutes later and discovered they were right next to each other.

"Get rest Padawans, your training tomorrow" Zashta told them.

"Thank You" both of them replied. Both of them went to their rooms and while Rey feel asleep almost instantaneously, Finn stayed up, thinking about the events of the day, wondering how his life has led him here.


	4. Training Begins

Finn was woken up by the sound of knocking on his door.

"Finn we're starting training. Get ready." a familiar voice told him.

Finn got up and started getting ready. In the First Order, any Stormtrooper late to assembly got extra shifts. Finn quickly learned not to be late. He was a fast learner, faster than most of the rest of the Stormtroopers. Looking back at his memories, Finn was extremely surprised no one in the First Order had realized he was force sensitive, at least he hoped no one had realized. He put on his robes and headed to the Training Grounds.

"You're Early" said a voice behind Him. Finn jumped a few feet and turned around as fast as he could. It was Master Hawk.

"I didn't see you there" Finn explained.

"Good. What experience have you had with the force?" asked Hawk.

"Not a lot. At least I don't think I've had a lot." Replied Finn.

"I've seen Kylo Ren, Luke, Leia and Rey use it a few times but even then it was only once or twice"

"Have you ever used it?" asked Hawk.

"Not knowingly." replied Finn again. Hawk was quiet for a minute or two then said

"Finn may I assign you a few books on the force and give you extra tutoring?"

"Why?" asked Finn.

"Rey has already had some training with the force, you have not. I want to help you catch up with her." He replied. Finn felt that he wasn't being completely honest. He was not lying, but he wasn't giving the whole truth either.

"Sure" said Finn after a few moments. Suddenly Rey rushed in, followed by Master Panteer.

"You two are early" Rey said excitedly.

"Indeed we are" replied Master Hawk.

"Are you two familiar with the Jedi code?" asked Master Hawk almost immidently.

"No" said Finn

"I've read it." Said Rey.

"We will be covering that today, along with some basic techniques. What do you know about the Jedi code?" asked Master Hawk.

"It's the basic guideline or rules Jedi follow to avoid falling to the Dark Side" Rey replied. "Thank You Miss Rey. The Jedi code goes as this: 'There is no emotion, there is peace.There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity.There is no chaos, there is harmony.There is no death, there is the Force.'" Hawk recited.

"I already knew that" remarked Rey.

"What about Finn?" asked Adrianna. Rey looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry Finn. I forgot you were here for a second." She said. Fin was a little hurt, but accepted her apology.

"What do you know about the code of the Sith?" asked Hawk.

"I didn't know they had codes" replied Rey. "They do. Or at least the Sith do. Ive heard Ren recite it a few times, though I don't think he or Snoke are/were Sith." said Finn.

"Thats correct. Neither are Sith. The true Sith died millennia ago and the Sith as many remembered them died with Sideous. What Snoke taught was a similar but not the actual deal." said Hawk.

"The Sith code goes like this: Peace is a lie, There is only Passion. Through Passion I gain Strength.Through Strength I gain Power. Through Power I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me." said Hawk.

"Is there a Gray Jedi code?" Asked Finn

"No but if we did it would probably be a combination of them." replied Adrianna.

"Why are you telling us about the Sith code?" asked Rey.

"To teach you what the Sith and Jedi follow. These are the core aspects of what a Jedi or Sith believe." Master Hawk replied.

"I want you to think about what both codes mean, and in thirty minutes we will begin physical training. During this we will ask you why you think the codes are important." Said Master Hawk.


	5. Construction

Rey and Finn had been training for weeks now. Finn was improving significantly and Rey was finally honing her power. Hawk was nervous though. He sensed the First Order was getting stronger and…

"No" he thought. "He's dead. He can't be back."

"Master Hawk what's wrong?" Asked Finn.

"I felt something… powerful….Evil….Something I thought was dead"

"What?" Asked Rey.

"I need to confirm my suspicions before saying anymore, but if it's what I think it is, fighting the First Order will become much harder that we thought." Hawk replied.

After Training Hawk went to the Astronomy room. Most of the masters were already there.

"Have you felt his presence too?" Asked Adrianna.

"Yes. Is he alive or was it an illusion?" Asked Hawk.

"We don't know, but if he is, then things have become more complex." Remarked Zashta.

"Indeed. How is their Training coming along? Are they ready for lightsabers?" Asked Jaqen.

"Yes. Arianna and I will take them to the caves at once." Replied Hawk. They finished their verbal conversation and walked off.

Hawk woke up Finn and Rey in the middle of the night.

"Where are we going" whispered Rey.

"You'll see." Hawk told them. Adrianna met them at the entrance.

"You will be building lightsabers."

"Really?" They said excitedly.

"Yes. Come with us." Said Adrianna.

As they walked Finn and Rey were told the ancient art of building Lightsabers. When they got to the caves Hawk said

"Rey, you go first. Whatever crystal changes color is yours. I will help you build it but I cannot help you find it."

Rey walked into the cave. There were so many crystals it was overwhelming. She looked around until she saw a crystal change. She grabbed the crystal and found her way back.

"It's your turn Finn. Good luck and We will help you if you need it when you construct it." Remarked Adrianna.

Finn entered the cave and witnessed the same breathtaking sight as Rey. Unlike Rey a crystal to his right almost immediately turned purple. He was surprised but grabbed it and left. Adrianna and Hawk were equally surprised but they collected what they needed and started constructed.


	6. An Evil Soul

"They're getting stronger" thought Kylo. It had been months since Rey had broken contact with him and he had not been able to contact her since. Wherever she was he could not tell. Ever since she ran away with those murderers and thieves. Her FN-2187 and the rest of them had ruined his chance, First Order's chance at a peaceful galaxy. His blood boiled at the thought of them. He sensed FN-2187 was different from the moment he came within a few feet of his squad.

"I should have killed him then and there." He thought. "He's taken everything from me."

He turned to the plans he made for conquering the next galaxy, but his thoughts again drifted to Rey and Finn. He wondered why Rey couldn't look at him the way she looked at FN-2187 or why she didn't think of him the way she thought of him.

"After everything we've been through she still chose him. I offered her everything and she still left me. I'm her blood and she still chose those traitors. There is too much of the light side in her, much like her father." He thought.

"Are the plans ready Supreme Leader?" Asked a familiar voice. It was Hux.

"Yes." He replied while handing him the plans. "Even without a Death Star or Starkiller we have enough firepower to destroy each planet's surface."

"Are you sure these are foolproof? The past few months you have been...distracted"

"Are you questioning me Hux?"

"No I was just-"

"Just because that murderer and the last of the Resistance got away? I have been making plans to kill her or bring her to our side" Kylo practically bellowed.

"But she murdered Snoke, she needs to face the First Orders Justice. Why risk bringing her in alive?" Hux replied

"We are destined to reign together. She is my blood, and it is why I did what I did. From rescuing her from the resistance to lying about her parentage. If I had told her the truth she'd be disgusted." Kylo remarked

"Who are her parents then?" Asked Hux.

"Luke and some woman" replied Kylo. Hux was disgusted. He hid it well but Kylo sensed it. "Leave me". With that Hux left and Kylo has more time to think. He tried reaching to Rey again, but to no avail. He tried reaching to FN-2187 as well but he was hidden as well. Kyla's blood boiled again and he destroyed the monitor he used to review his plans. He left the meeting room and walked to his quarters. After arriving He paced across the room like an animal in a pen, thinking of ways to ensnare Rey and the resistance when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in" He shouted. A Knight of Ren entered.

"Supreme Leader I have information about the girl"

"Tell me" Kylo answered with Rage in his voice.

"She and the traitor FN-2187 have built and are training with lightsabers." Said the knight.

"How do you know this?" Asked Kylo.

"I had a vision. FN-2187 wielded a Green lightsaber and the girl an orange one." Replied the Knight. Kylo searched his mind and found the vision. He was telling the truth. He watched the vision. Rey and the traitor were fighting with the aforementioned blades. They were alone on a barren planet. Rey has gotten better, but still needed to practice. The traitor was failing and obviously wouldn't make it far if he didn't get a teache either. He turned back to Rey. She needed a proper teacher, not some old books and an untrained force user. He thought it was funny that FN-2187 or "Finn" could possibly be a Jedi.

"You are dismissed Knight Of Shadow" said Kylo.

The Knight left and went back to his room. Kylo replayed the vision in his head, taking comfort in the knowledge that Rey and Finn were supposedly nowhere near his level.


	7. Rendemption

"He bought it" thought the knight as he walked to his quarters. His plan was working and if the force was on his side, he may make it to the Resistance alive. Once he made it to his room and took his mask off, he opened a hidden compartment in his bed. In the compartment was a holodisk and a colorless kyber crystal, the last remnants of his life before he joined Kylo. The holodisk was given to him by his family before he went to train with Luke. It was his family telling him how proud they were of him and how much they loved him. He couldn't bring himself to watch it since he followed Kylo to the dark side. He wanted to make the galaxy a more peaceful place and Kylo knew exactly what to say to lure him to the dark. He painted himself as coming from a powerful family that did not have time for him. Looking back the knight wondered if anything he said was true. and just needed the right excuse to push He, along with the other knights were told to kill their friends and children during fall of Luke's temple. At first he followed easily, cutting through masters and former allies easily. Things changed when they got to the youngling's quarters. Most were cowering under their beds or behind furniture. He couldn't bring himself to harm them. The knight remembered how he and a few others tried to convince him to spare them, using the logic that they could be trained in the Dark Side, but Kylo refused to change his mind. This was when he decided to test how strong his ability for falsifying memories was. He had discovered this ability when learning about mind probing. He realized that if you could enter a mind there was nothing stopping the person from implanting false memories or visions in people's minds. It is extremely complicated and takes a lot of training to pull it off. Despite this, he managed to successfully create the false images in their minds and told the children to run. He thought Kylo would suspect something, or for the memories to fail but neither happened. He was still worried that Kylo would figure out what he did. Kylo was the most powerful force user he knew and it was only a matter of time before he was found out.

He looked back down at the holodisk and tried remembering the name he had before turning to the Dark Side. He had gone so long without using it that he had forgotten it. Everyone either called him Knight or Ren's Shadow. Each knight was given a title or "name" similar to his, fitting to their personality and how they were viewed by Snoke. This was to show how committed to the dark side each of them were and to erase any connection to their old lives. Shadow personally thought his name was pretentious, but was wise enough not to not express his opinion to anyone else.

"At least Ren's Shadow is better than what the people of conquered planets call the other knights and I" he thought. He decided that if he was going to defect back to the light, he wanted a name that reminded him of his purpose. He put the holodisk away in the compartment. After spending time thinking he thought of a name. It was the name of another who turned from light to dark to light again. He had read about him in an ancient tone dating back 4000 years, during another crisis involving Jedi and Sith.

"Atton, that's a good name." He thought as he fell asleep. The kyber crystal still in his hand turned from colorless to orange.


	8. Fallen

It was midday when Master Hawk felt Atton's presence. He remembered the knight from when he taught with Luke. He was powerful and in tune with the light side, which made his turn unexpected. Luke had put him in the same group as Kylo in hopes he would prevent him from turning. It failed. The night many had feared came and few had survived. It had been years since they last encountered each other, but something was different now. He had sensed doubt from someone close to Ren and now he knew who it was. At first he thought it was Kylo, but after Rey left him, Hawk no longer detected conflict within him. He had chosen the dark side and without the right push he would stay there.

"Master Hawk" said Adrianna, scaring him.

"Yes" he replied. "What is it?"

"The fallen Jedi, Atton, has crash landed on Dantooine."

"Why'd he land there?" Asked Hawk

"I don't know. Maybe to throw the First Order off our trail?" Suggested Adrianna

"Maybe" replied Hawk. Suddenly Rey rushed in, followed by Finn.

"Is it true? Did a knight of ren fall on Dantooine?" She Asked intensely. Hawk searched her mind. She hoped it was Kylo. She hoped she was wrong about him.

"Yes. A knight named Atton fled the First Order." Atton explained. Rey was sad but not surprised.

"We will be getting him, but we need to make sure he wasn't followed" Hawk continued.

"Are we sure he truly reformed?" Asked Finn

"No. But we need as many people on our side as possible." Adrianna remarked.


	9. Trapped

Dantooine was busy when the Grey Jedi got there. They knew Atton would be tracked here and it wouldn't be long before the First Order realized his betrayal. Adrianna wondered if he truly changed. The First Order had committed so many atrocities that she wasn't sure if any of them could be forgiven. She was there when the massacre started and saw what he and the other knights did. They butchered their former allies with no remorse.

"At least until they came to the younglings" she thought. She and the other children were trying to grab their belongings and when they heard the knights of Ren they began hiding. She remembered fighting, then something strange happened. She heard arguing about what to do with them. Some argued to train them in the ways of the Dark Side. Others wanted to tourture them and the rest wanted to kill them on sight. Kylo was in the third category, and his word was law to them. Adrianna couldn't explain what happened next. All but one of the knights fell unconscious, and told them to run. They did, right into the adult survivors. She started to wonder if Atton had something to do with it, but she shook it off. It would have taken a powerful force user to achieve what she suspected. A powerful force user or a well trained one.

Talik was worried. The last time she saw Atton he had almost killed her. The knights had found her hiding behind some barrels. The master she was with had been butchered and they were arguing about what to do with her. They had wanted to take her with them to the First Order but Atton said something to them then knocked her out. She woke up in the arms of Master Hawk later, scared and confused. Nothing happened to her other than being knocked unconscious but she couldn't shake the feeling that things could have been worse.

"There he is" Said Adrianna. Talik looked up. Atton was sitting at a table in common clothing. He looked older and uncomfortable, but there was no doubt it was him. Talik sensed something.

"The First Order knows" she whispered to Hawk. He nodded. Atton seemed to sense it too as the moment he saw them he practically ran to them.

"We need to leave now" he whispered in a panic.

"Are you Atton?" Asked Rey as they began leaving.

"Yes" he replied. "We need to get out of here before they find out."

"He's scared" Thought Talik. "Perhaps he has truly changed." Her thought process was interrupted by a humming in the distance. She realized that there were three tie fighters on the horizon. Talik sighed and grabbed her lightsaber, while the rest of the Jedi did the same. As she drew it she heard a familiar voice and everything stopped.

"It's been a long time Talik" said the voice.

"N-No" she thought. "Get away from me"

"No. We're connected you and I. Soon you and your traitor friends will be captured and we'll have plenty of time to talk." Replied the voice.


	10. Imperator

The Tie Fighters landed and out walked another knight. The square was deserted other than the Jedi and stormtroopers. Talik remembered this knight from the massacre, as he had been one to vote yes for taking her back to Snoke alive. "You dare betray us Shadow, and after all you've done?" Bellowed the knight. "I do Imperator. I no longer fight for you." Shouted Atton. They were circling each other"You think you can just leave the Knights of Ren? You think you can wash the blood off your hands? You're a bigger fool than I thought." The Knight then ignited his lightsaber and attacked him. The Jedi easily fought off the stormtroopers, though Talik noticed Finn seemed hesitant to fight. She didn't blame him, they were brainwashed the same as him, whether he knew them or not. After finishing the last stormtrooper she turned around to see the Imperator bending over Atton. The other Jedi were frozen in place. She couldn't understand why she wasn't but she silently walked up behind him. "... and now you'll see why no one betrays Supreme Leader Kylo" he told Atton. Talik seized this opportunity to stab the Imperator in the back. The rest of the Jedi could move again. "Thank you" said Atton gratefully. The Jedi praised her as she got back to the ship. She told them that did what she had too and they took off. Atton was injured but otherwise everyone was ok. That was, until Talik felt a chill down her spine. She collapsed inside the ship. "Well done" she heard a voice at the back of her head. A masked figure appeared. "Get out of my head" she told it. "Why would I? We are soulmates, you and I. We are meant to be, I couldn't have the Imperator spoiling that for us." The figure started circling her. "What do you mean?" "Did you really think I'd let him kill you and your friends? Why do you think you were the only one not affected by his freezing ability?""I didn't know you cared so much about my friends" "I don't, but you all have valuable information about the resistance. I couldn't let him kill all of you." He tried touching her but she backed away. "Get away from me" Talik yelled. The figure seemed surprised. "I expected you to be more grateful Jedi. I saved your friends lives, something that can be easily undone" "I thought you needed the information we had" "We don't need all of you. Anyways I should be thanking you""Why is that?" "With the Imperator gone I am now second in command of the Knights of Ren." the figure said. Talik's stomach dropped. The figure moved close to her. She tried to back up but she hit something solid. He leaned in and whispered "When I find where you and the Last of the Jedi are holed up, I'm going to kill most of the masters and take you, your special friend, the Twi'lek, the Togruta, the stormtrooper and the scavenger back to base. Kylo can have his fun with the stormtrooper and the scavenger will reign as his queen. You will be my queen and the other Knights can have the rest." "That will never happen" Said Talik. "Watch me" Said the figure.


	11. The Discussion

Rey was worried about Talik. She had only been unconscious for a few minutes, but when she awoke the news wasn't good. Apparently a force bond she had with one of Ren's knights was still active, despite the fact they had severed it years earlier. She also told them that the other knights were becoming more intense in their search, and about the plans Kylo had for them. She shivered at the thought of it. She remembered every detail about her force bond with Kylo. The way he looked at her, talked to her, comforted her, and even fought with her was so personal and intimate. He had convinced her that he was her friend, then took advantage of her. She wondered if it was the same with Talik.  
"Maybe he made a new connection" Zashta suggested.  
"How? He is not familiar enough with the force to accomplish such a feat." replied Jaqen  
"He could have learned or had Kylo Ren create it." said Hawk  
"I'm sorry to interrupt but who are you talking about? The Knight at Dantooine is dead, and he was the second in command." Asked Rey.  
"This does not mean the fall of the Knights of Ren. Kylo will appoint a new second in command, someone he was close too. Based on what Talik said, it will probably be Deimos, the Knight of Dread." Said Master Hawk  
"He's the one who had been talking to Talik?" asked Finn with fear in his voice.  
"Yes" replied Hawk.


	12. The Calm after the Storm

Finn remembered Deimos well. He often watched the Stormtroopers train, and had a nasty habit of using his power to give them feelings of terror. He claimed it would help them prepare for battle, but Finn always suspected otherwise. Deimos becoming the new commander of the Knights of Ren would be catastrophic. He had witnessed the knight singlehandedly slaughter an entire village in less than half a night on an old First Order recording. Finn could understand why Talik was so terrified of him, especially if he had a force bond with her. He could only imagine the things he had in store for them all if the Gray Jedi were defeated.  
"We have to find a way to permanently cut this force bond and prevent him from finding us," he said.  
"That's what we're working on" Hawk reassured him.  
"Is there anything else you could tell us about Deimos? We want to know more about the man he has become in order to gain insight into how he currently operates." asked Jaqen. Finn told them everything he remembered. After that, the rest of the trip had little to offer in terms of conversation. The Gray Jedi took no risks and switched ships often on the way back to Ossus. When they got back they were greeted by exited younglings and padawans. Finn went to his room began to think about what he would do if the First Order found them. He wouldn't run, he'd done enough of that already. He wanted to fight the organization that used him and countless others as soldiers to enslave the galaxy.  
"Dark Side users are powerful but unskilled." he thought. "Finding their flaws could help us defeat them."  
He made a list of the Knights of Ren he knew about and under each provided their known unique powers and weaknesses.


	13. Strength and Weaknesses

Deimos, Knight of Dread: Standard Dark Side Abilities, Emotional Manipulation, Force Scream. Weaknesses: Overconfidence, weak lightsaber skills, EM takes a lot of focus.

Phobos, Knight of Fear: Same as Deimos, but a better swordsman.

Weaknesses: More likely to rush into battle, easily angered.

Bia, Knight of Fury: Standard Dark Side Abilities, Force Scream, Essence Transfer, Emotional Manipulation, intelligence, skilled fighter, charismatic

Weaknesses: ?

Forgo, Knight of the Forgotten: Standard Dark Side Abilities, Force Drain

Weaknesses: other than his draining abilities not especially powerful, average fighter,

Pathos, Knight of Sorrow: Standard Dark Side Abilities, Emotional Manipulation,

Weaknesses: Poor fighter, prone to sulking

Erebus: Standard Dark Side Abilities, Emotional Manipulation, Force Drain, Force Scream, Emotional Manipulation, Force Illusion, Skilled Fighter, intelligent

Weaknesses: hesitant to use abilities,


	14. Memories

Kylo destroyed another console. The Imperiator had been one of his best knights, and he didn't trust Demios. He was unpredictable, arrogant, and cruel, and if he wanted Rey he needed someone who was pragmatic and logical. Kylo considered leading them himself, but he had enough to do as the supreme leader. Also Kylo sensed Demios had something to do with his his predecessor's death. Demios had always wanted to lead the Knights of Ren, and now that the Imperiator was dead he was next in line. Anger again serged through Kylo. All his life he wanted two things, to lead the galaxy to peace and to find the love of his life. Now both were in his grasp and if they weren't careful hed lose them both. If he found solid evidence of Demio's betrayal he would be executed. Such recklessness needed to be punished, and anything that came in between him and Rey needed to be destroyed. He recalled FN-2187, the stormtrooper who started this mess.

"When I catch him and those second rate Jedi, I'll kill them all." He thought. "Except Rey and those who my knights desire. With that stormtrooper and his ally's dead, Rey will finally love me. If she doesn't I will make her love me."

With that he sensed something. It was a familiar feeling, and suddenly Kylo realized what it was. It was Erebus. Erebus was one of Kylo's best knights despite his hesitence to use the power the dark side gave him. His betrayal was so unexpected Kylo was not fully convinced of his defection until the Imperiator died. Now that he thought about it, Erebus' betrayal was obvious. His hesitance to use the dark side, his protest of destroying the Hoznian system, his fainting when was destroyed, and not to mention his love. Kylo felt sick just thinking about it. Erebus had fallen in love with him at Luke's academy, and Kylo remembered using this love to lure him to the Dark Side. While he and the others laughed and joked about Erebus' attraction to him, Kylo did feel a little guilty. Erebus' love for him was genuine, and his dedication to the First Order was admirable, at least until the night they destroyed Luke's temple. Something in him changed that night.

Kylo tried to recall the events of that night after his uncle tried to kill him, but he couldn't for more than a few moments. The screaming, the begging, the corpses of younglings on the floor, Kylo had repressed these memories for a reason. Kylo cursed his uncle for making him kill them. Kylo had planned to attack the temple after converting the younglings, but Luke forced his hand.

"They had to die, there was too much light in them." He told himself that every night since then. He almost believed it, but there was a small part of him that knew he was to blame and he did not need to give the order to massacre them. Suddenly Kylo remembered something and ran to the archives.


	15. Demios

Deimos was pleased with himself. Kylo had done as expected, and promoted him to the Imperiaror's rank. While this was a happy occasion, Deimos knew he had to tread carefully, as the Supreme leader suspected him of his predecessors death. Kylo's wrath was something that should be avoided whenever possible, though he had a way to get him off his back. All he needed to do was find the Jedi base and Kylo would trust him again.

As he thought that, he felt something. It was Talik, he was sure of it. Talik was a hard woman to crack, but he was getting to her. Their bond was severed but he still could influence her dreams, and whisper in her ear. She often dreamt of Adrianna, but he was confident he could change her. Out of everyone in the universe he chose her. The other knights looked down on him for his choice, but he loved her. Or at least he perceived his attachment to her as love. Kylo felt the same way about Rey, and if he had Rey's sympathy, why shouldn't he have Talik's? Deimos had known Talik since she was a girl and how long had Kylo known Rey? A few months at most. Why shouldn't Talik feel sympathy for him, hadn't he killed the Imperator for her and allowed her to escape with the traitors she called friends? Didn't he deserve to be loved?

"Deimos, the Supreme Leader wants to see you," said a voice from behind him. It was General Hux.

"I didn't know you were his messenger boy." replied Deimos with a little to much enthusiasm in his voice.

"Quiet Deimos, remember your place."

"At least I know my place Hux." Hux began to choke, but Deimos stopped short of rendering him unconscious. "I'd do well to remember mine if I were you, General. I wouldn't want you to have an accident while on the job." Hux glared at him while he gasped for breath. Hux had always had his eye on Talik's closest friend Adrianna. He had found a hologram of her in his bedroom along with some bad poetry and more than a few journal entries about her in his personal logbook. He told the other knights, some of whom laughed with him, but Bia and Pathos scolded him. Bia told him it was hypocritical of him to poke fun when he felt the same about Talik.

"What does she know of my feelings toward Talik?" He thought as he walked along. "My feelings are real, it's not like some childhood crush."

Deimos never liked Bia. He didn't like any of his allies sans Phobos, his twin sister, but Bia was a special example. She always tried to mother him and the others, even when they did not need it. She was too emotional and something about her seemed different lately. Ever since Erebus left she seemed angrier than usual. Everyone was, but there was something else, another emotion he couldn't place. He shook off this as he entered the Supreme Leader's chambers. He would have to have a discussion with her soon, preferably after his meeting with Kylo.


	16. Hiatus

Hi, I know I haven't been updating as frequently, I've been busy for the past few months but I just saw the Rise of Skywalker and I want to take a break to process it. I probably will update in the future but right now idk if I will in the next few weeks. (I will update the Star Crossed fic soon but it will be the same deal) Sorry, and see you later.


	17. Nightmares

p dir="ltr"Hawk jolted upright, his long dark hair messily covering his face. His nightmares were becoming more frequent, as were many of the other's. Visions of a dark throne and laughter echoing haunted the night and they needed to know why. Derek thought about Snoke. He and the rest of the Gray Jedi initially thought he was the one who drew Kylo to the dark, but whoever tempted Kylo with the dark side seemed familiar to him. Snoke was a stranger, a boogeyman who served someone or something else. Snoke was a means to an end, and had apparently served his purpose. Whatever he was, the darkness Derek and the Jedi felt surrounding Kylo did not vanish at his other force was at play, though no matter who it was, at this point Kylo was too dedicated to the dark side. Whatever light was inside him had been extinguished the moment he chose power over family and became Supreme Leader. He had been given an endless amount of chances but always chose the Dark. Still, whatever happened he knew what needed to be done. /p  
p dir="ltr""We need to contact Cal and the other schools to see if their nightmares are coming more frequently as well." he thought to himself, as he travelled to the communication center. He sent an encrypted message to some of the other schools, Derek sighed. There was nothing he could do now except train Rey and Finn. He began working on Rey and Finn's training for the day, and as he did, he wondered how the other schools were doing. /p  
p dir="ltr""I wish I did something sooner," he thought. "Maybe if I had been more convincing, he would be a Jedi Knight instead of a Dark Sider. All those padawans and younglings would be-" He stopped himself. /p  
p dir="ltr"After the destruction of Luke's temple he and a few other of the older survivors split up with younglings and hid in different areas. Luke's school had been around for a few years, and Derek had been one of Luke's first trainees. By the time Ben Solo came he and a few others had been trusted to train Younglings and Padawan's. It was around this time Luke had gotten a transmission from someone. He didn't say who, but he destroyed it and mentioned he needed to go somewhere. He left for a week and when he got back he held a meeting. According to him, he wasn't the last Jedi as he had thought. A few Jedi had survived Order 66 and had been in hiding until the New Republic rose. One of them had been his father's Padawan, Ahsoka, and while she had left the Jedi Order, she was one of the last people with training under the old Jedi. According to Luke, he had tried to get her to teach, but she refused. According to Luke she claimed to have had a vision of his temple being destroyed and sensed darkness surrounding Ben Solo. Luke and a few others laughed it off, but Derek was suspicious. He figured if a Jedi from the Old Order, especially one who walked away without falling to the dark side, was warning them they should heed their warning. Later that night he looked into Ben's mind, and knew the ex Jedi was right. /p  
p dir="ltr"He had told Luke about his findings but Luke only grew angry with him. /p  
p dir="ltr""Jedi do not enter the minds of Padawan's." Luke told him in a way that was calm yet clear he was angry. /p  
p dir="ltr""But there's something corrupting hi-"/p  
p dir="ltr""My nephew is my responsibility, not yours. Continue training the younglings, before I decide to send you to negotiate a treaty with the Hutts on Nimban."/p  
p dir="ltr""Yes Master."/p  
p dir="ltr"This encounter was the beginning of the end in Derek's eyes. A few months after Ben was enrolled other Jedi began to sense the darkness growing in him. They begged Luke to keep an eye on him, but by the time he did, Ben was already gone. He had been fully convinced of the power of the Dark Side, and had corrupted some of his classmates./p  
p dir="ltr"To Derek, the incident at Luke's temple seemed to be a sign, not only of Ben Solo's transition into Kylo Ren and the dark side, but that the Old Jedi Order could not survive without changing. Luke's commitment to rebuilding the Old Jedi, while admirable, did nothing to correct their mistakes. Being in power for that long without reevaluating their code was their downfall, and trying to reinstate it did left them open to the same means of attack by the Sith. It even began to show towards the end of the old Republic. Hell, even Luke's own father was a monument to the Old Jedi's failures. Being born a slave, told he's the chosen one while simultaneously being looked down on by most of his peers, told to ignore the suffering of others, and his manipulation at the hands of Darth Sideous proved that the Jedi needed a major reform. Even if none of that had happened stories from thousands of years ago spoke of hundreds of thousands of Jedi existing at once. During the last years of the Old Republic there were only around ten thousand left. Sure War was bound to happen, but even if there was a civil war the Jedi would rebuild. Force sensitive people would still be born and they could train any of them they may have missed initially. Whatever happened The Jedi of the Old Republic fell, and now a new Empire was emerging. Still, even without Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi would probably have gone extinct sooner or later. Whatever the case, the old Jedi were gone. Sure many of the survivors of Order 66 trained new Jedi, but they saw the flaws of the Old first hand. Luke did not, at least until his nephew turned. That shattered his faith to the core, causing him to abandon survivors of Ben Solo's rampage and those who needed him most, like his daughter, his sister, and his best friend./p 


	18. The Lost and The Patient

Derek couldn't remember how many students were at Luke's Academy. At first it was just him, Leia, Jaqen, Sahlu, and Zashta. After that Luke found a few other force sensatives and began training them. Derek and the first group graduated, though Leia left shortly after her training was completed. More students came and Luke tasked them with training them. Things went well until Ben came. Around 70% of those at the academy were dead after his rampage.

Most of those who escaped, like Hawk's group, hid in abandoned Jedi temples and similar places but some tried hiding in plain sight. Those who did ended up dead, with the younglings under their care abandoned or captured, like what had happened with Rey and Finn. Derek had insisted Finn should stay with his group, but Asher had inisted they would be safe.

Two Jedi, Victor and Megan, took Rey and went to hide somewhere the First Order would never look, but were ambushed on the way there. They escaped, but not after the two of them were identified. They went to Jakku and left her, leading the First Order away from her and on a wild goose chase before they were captured. Derek didn't know what happened to them after that, and neither the Grey Jedi, or First Order could find her until Poe went to Jakku. Even so, Hawk knew it was a blessing in disguise, as she was the one the First Order was looking for.

The other lost younglings, Zheela, Krev, Carshotta, Riao, Valentine, Ruth, Hannah, and Morgan had left with other survivors and had been attacked by the Order. The last four were stolen by the First Order and trained as first four however, were harder to find, as nonhumans were ignored or killed by the First Order. He was saddened at the thought of them, children wandering the Galaxy alone with no one to protect them.

Luckily most of the Lost Younglings were alive, though he did not know where most were. Zheela and Riao, two of the nonhumans, had found their way into the resistance, though like Rey and Finn they did not recall their past. The other two were alive, but could not be found. The ones who were stolen and trained as Stormtroopers, however, were a different story. At different points they, like Finn, rebelled. Unfortunately, one of them, Hannah, had died in her attempted rebellion. According to intercepted First Order data, she had been shot by her own squad for "treasonous activity." Her body had been left to rot with the civilians they had been ordered to slaughter. Derek had sensed it, first guilt, then betrayal then a burning pain in his chest. The other three younglings, however, were successful. Valentine had faked his death after letting some civilians escape and ran away when the First Order left. Morgan and Ruth, who according to files were in the same squadron, dropped their weapons and refused to fire, while the rest of their group followed their example. The files did not state where they were, as they still were in the process of decrypting them, but they would try to send a transmission if possible.

"Master Hawk, we're ready for our training!" said Rey, breaking him out of his train of thought.

"Good. Start at the entrance and work your way to the Droid Sector where the Queen and her son are hiding. Remember, you need to work together in order to succeed."

"Yes Master!" They said simultaneously.

The two of them were doing well, and both growing stronger in the Force. Finn was growing more confident in his abilities and was now Rey's equal in combat. Rey was doing better focusing her abilities. At first she would use her power erratically and without considering collateral damage, but she did listen and respond well to his instruction.

Rey's kyber crystal had also changed from white to yellow, indicating she was now dedicated to becoming a Jedi. Finn came back with a purple lightsaber, representing his unwavering moral code, but when Rey brought back a white crystal Derek was surprised. White Lightsabers usually meant the user was unaligned with Sith or Jedi, and Rey seemed so intent on becoming a Jedi and was doing well in her training. When he searched her feelings at the time, he sensed she was filled with self doubt and fear. Kylo Ren, as expected, had been a source of it, but Luke had also contributed to her feelings as well. His refusal to teach Rey had affected her more than she cared to admit, and there was little room in the Jedi order for self doubt. It was hindering at worst and dangerous at best. Still, yellow was a good color for her, as it showed her persistence and determination.

Still, like the Masters dreams being filled with visions of Darkness and laughter, hers were filled with Kylo Ren, and the day she was left on Jakku. The DarkSider had been attempting to infiltrate her dreams since before she got to Ossus, but he had only been successful a few times and Rey never gave up anything. Recently he had been successful in gaining entry in her dreams more often than not, causing Hawk and a few of the others to take turns helping her force him out. His ability to resist their safeguards regarding her was explained away by some of the others as both being from a family of powerful force users, but Hawk suspected something more insidious. They were cousins, yes, but Kylo Ren's focus on her was unsettling at best. She and Leia were the last Family he had, but choosing to torment a girl he just found out survived was rather… intimate. When driving him out the most recent time, Hawk sensed feelings of lust coming from him. While this disgusted him, he also sensed something else. The other Knights of Ren felt fractured, most doubted Kylo, planned on userping him, or both. The moment Kylo showed any weakness, he was a dead man. Derek was surprised none of them had attacked him yet.

Derek looked back at Finn and Rey. They were halfway to the Princess and her heirs when everything stopped. The same laughter from his dreams filled the air. Darth Sideus had returned.


	19. Planning

Atton was terrified, as the situation was way worse than he had expected. Palpatine was supposed to be dead, Anakin killed him on the second Death Star, and even if he had survived, it was blown up. The Gray Council was discussing the threat and how they should proceed. Derek and Jaqen were part of it, though most of the council were holograms. Each had schools hidden on planets across the galaxy in order to protect the younglings and their families as well as preventing the fall of the Gray Jedi if any singular temple was destroyed. Most of the council was made up of those who trained under survivors of Order 66, or those who escaped the destruction of Luke's temple. Atton, as an ex Knight of Ren, was brought in to give intel about Kylo's inner circle. Finn was brought to the same Council shortly after agreeing to be trained as a Jedi.  
"There was no way he could have escaped." he thought.  
"Even if he had, there should have been traces of him."  
Suddenly he remembered something. He had felt a dark presence the night the Jedi Temple was destroyed, but he had just thought it was Kylo Ren. He had been surrounded by that presence for a while, but that night was when it was strongest. Still, the thought that everything he and the other Knights of Ren had been convinced to do was the machinations of a man who wanted to watch the galaxy burn, not free it from the corruption of the Jedi as Ben had promised so long ago. Every speech he made, every planet he had them assimilate, was to push the agenda of a madman. And that wasn't even including the destruction of the Hosnian system or the countless children the First Order stole.  
"What do you think Atton?" asked Derek, snapping him out of his thought process.  
"Whatever Palpatine is doing, he has been scheming for decades. Snoke, Kylo, The First Order, they've all been pawns in his plans. He's trying to take over the galaxy again, but we need to find out what exactly his plans are or else we may be falling right into his hands. We need to find out where he is and stop him." He said.  
The others nodded. After a few moments female Togruta then spoke up.  
"He must be hiding in the Unknown Regions, it's the only way he could have hidden for so long without being detected."  
"She's right, but that's a lot of poorly charted territory. Finding him will be nearly impossible, especially without some kind of map." said a human Mandalorian. A coo came off from the background of his call.  
"Then we find a map. We can't just sit here and do nothing!" she exclaimed.  
"How do we know such a map exists?" said a Mon Calamari.  
There was more arguing and after an hour or so, then The Council was dismissed. Atton went to the training grounds. Discussions would continue the next day, and there would be more planning, but his attendance would still be mandatory considering the information he had. Rey and Finn were practicing fighting with lightsabers in front of a group of younglings. Rey's blade was unique among the others he had seen. It had a golden kyber crystal, which was rare, even for yellow crystals. Yellow kyber crystals were the most common ones that weren't green or blue, as they were traditionally used by Sentinels, though having one did not necessarily indicate they were one. Her saber itself looked to be the remains of a quarterstaff, which would match Kylo Ren's initial description of her. Finn's lightsaber was purple, which was also pretty rare. He wasn't sure of the significance of a purple crystal, but there were rumors that those who fell to the Dark Side then returned to the light had that color. Considering Atton's own crystal and Mace Windu was not reported to have fallen to the dark side, he doubted these claims. Finn's lightsaber was made out of old Stormtrooper armor. It had apparently taken a while to refit, but it worked well. What were once his shackles was now a weapon that destroyed them.  
As he continued watching their match, Atton felt his pocket where his Kyber crystal was and remembered he still needed to craft his new lightsaber. He had to find the right materials, which was proving more challenging than he thought. He had tried more traditional metals and even certain types of wood, but nothing felt right to him. He tried picturing the lightsaber in his mind, but none of the materials looked the same. He had even tried materials taken from Hosnian Prime before it was destroyed, but there was too much pain related to it. It was a new graveyard of debris, one that should never have existed.  
"Not that the first one should have existed either." he thought. What remained of Alderaan was the same as the Hosnian system, a mess of debris floating in space, haunted by the screams of those who died there. It, like the Hosnian system, was a wound that was impossible to heal. Despite or maybe because of this, survivors of Alderaan and their descendants were essential in helping Hosnian refugees relocate. Atton was not surprised, trauma, especially shared trauma, unites people. Alderaanians were at the front of the Resistance as well, and because of recent events Atton wouldn't be surprised if survivors of the Hosnian system joined en mass.  
As he thought of this he remembered the holodisk his family gave him all those years ago. Shortly before he arrived at Ossus, he had given it and the crystal to Master Hawk in order to make sure they were not being used to track them. There was no way they could have been, but he wanted to make absolutely sure they weren't. Hawk confirmed they weren't, and after Atton complained of lightsaber materials not fitting correctly, had gently suggested he watch it.  
"Perhaps now is the time." he thought.  
He left the training grounds and found a place to watch it where he would not be disturbed by anyone.


	20. Hope

Finn looked out the window of the library and noticed it was dark out. Time had gone so quickly. He got up and began to put his books back. He had been trying to study the history of the Old Jedi, but with little luck. He was too worried about Rey to be able to focus a lot on his studies. She had been acting strangely ever since they got back from Dantooine, and she had been worse since they found out Palpatine was alive. He knew it had something to do with her connection to Kylo Ren, but even the most powerful force bonds could be severed, especially with help from outside sources, dark, light or gray. Something or someone seemed to be reconnecting them, and many suspected it was Palpatine. Whatever it was, Rey was losing sleep trying to keep Kylo out of her mind and it was beginning to show. Training and studying with her was becoming difficult, as she was constantly drowsy and irritable, the latter of which intensified whenever she lost a training match or answered a question wrong. This ended up leading to many screaming matches with other Padawans. Everyone knew it wasn't completely her fault, but being yelled at for something insignificant isn't something most let go. Finn and Atton were some of the few she would still willingly spar, but Atton had left the Academy with a few of the masters to get the material for his lightsaber around two months ago, so he was pretty much the only one she would spar with at the moment. He also wasn't sure how much longer the three of them would be able to train together.

"We need to find Palpatine soon." he thought. The search for Palpatine so far was filled with a lot of dead ends, but they had reliable intellegence that he was on Exogul. Unfortunently they were unable to chart a course there as the only maps on how to get there were lost or destroyed. Finn suspected Atton's holodisc must have carried a clue, as there was no reason why so many of the masters had to go with him to find lightsaber components. Still, a clue is a clue, so they needed to investigate it no matter what.

As he left the library and started his journey back to his dorm, he thought about what this meant. According to the Jedi Masters, he was on the path to becoming a Jedi Sentinel, while Rey was to be a Jedi Guardian. He wasn't sure which path Atton would take, but he got the feeling he would be training with him. Still, unlike Atton, neither he nor Rey had trained to be a Jedi, so they would need to learn more about what Sentinel and Guardians entail. Both had just recently learned all three classes had subsets they could choose to follow after training in their respective one. There wasn't time for them to train for these specializations now, but after the war, if they were successful in defeating the First Order and Palpatine, they could train in their chosen subset. Rey wasn't sure which subset she wanted to be, but Finn had given it some thought. He decided, after all this was over, he would be a Jedi Watchman. If the Resistance won, the remnants of the First Order would go into hiding, and he wanted to stop them before they stole more children and rebuilt.

As he walked back, he thought about what he read and couldn't help but notice similarities between the Old Jedi and The First Order. Children would be taken from their homes to learn how to become soldiers in wars that may or may not come. Both forbid attachments and would punish those who broke the rules severely. Finn thought about the current Jedi or "Gray Jedi". Unlike with the First Order, he was finally given a choice to fight, and his decision would have been respected. They were allowed to laugh, to cry, to feel. Families weren't alienated, and people could form attachments. Finn had spent his entire life training to be a soldier, and now he ended up continuing it, but this was different. They had things worth fighting for, and ways to find his family. He wanted to know who he was stolen from, if they were still alive, if they missed him, if they still wanted him.

He remembered back to his childhood in the First Order. The countless hours doing drills, being scolded for laughing, and more. The First Order demanded conformity, which was something he couldn't give. Not all the children they abducted were Stormtrooper material, and those who weren't tended to be weeded out early and killed. If Slip had survived his first mission he would have suffered the same fate sooner or later. He was saddened at the thought of it. His only friend from the First Order was destined to die, and it happened to be by Poe's hand. The irony was not lost on him. His reason for rebelling had died because of the man he ended up rescuing, just as Nines had died because of him. His squad may not have treated him the best, but they were the closest things to brothers he had. As he lay down on his bed, he thought of the other remaining Stormtroopers and wondered what became of them.

There had been quite a few Stormtrooper rebellions, though not all of them were successful. The most common rebellions were the kind where one would speak out and either the entire squad executed them or half would join the defector and it tore itself apart. The ones that succeeded involved the entire squad rebelling together, or quietly defected at the first opportunity. Faking deaths or just walking away were the most common forms of individuals defecting, though in one case a Stormtrooper broke out a prisoner, stole a Tie Fighter, crashed on Jakku then joined the Resistance. On the other hand, when entire squads rebelled, there was little they could do about it. The odd Stormtrooper defecting in most cases was manageable to the First Order, as there was not a lot they could do. Entire units rebelling on the other hand caused more trouble for them. They had used countless resources in order to train them, and training children took years they no longer had. Something was different though, there were more rebellions in the past few years than the First Order had claimed. He didn't feel it before, but he could now. Many Stormtroopers were questioning their ideology for various reasons. This pleased Finn, and he smiled as he drifted to sleep.


	21. The Jedi Order

Finn woke up, got ready, and began to walk to the training grounds. Something he liked about the temple was no one treated him differently for his past. Back at the Resistance Base, people looked at him with suspicion when he walked by, conversations stopped, people glared, and some even left the room or walked the other way when he appeared. They hated him for being a former Stormtrooper, or saw him as a coward. He didn't need to be force sensitive to figure that out. It bothered him, how they judged him like he actively joined the First Order then left out of fear. His choice was stolen from him as it was for all Stormtroopers, but unlike them he left because he couldn't stomach killing innocents. People he barely knew called him a coward, and treated him as if he would betray them the moment it was convenient. Many of these same people would talk about how Kylo Ren could be redeemed if given the chance. Kylo Ren, the man who killed his classmates in his 20's and rejected every chance of redemption offered to him. The man who murdered his father in cold blood and nearly did the same to his mother. The new leader of an organization that slaughters planets and steals and brainwashes children into faceless soldiers.

He stared at the entrance to the training grounds as he had been for a while, wondering if he should go in. He sighed. He was tired of people judging him for things he didn't plan on doing, then praising someone else for doing those exact things. Kylo nearly killed them all, yet they had the nerve to claim he would turn back to the light. Some even had bets on how long it'd take him to turn back. Finn felt the anger and disgust rise in him, then took a few deep breaths. He recalled a phrase he heard echo in his dreams.

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."

He was calmer now. He was just worried about the state of the Resistance and about what would happen if the First Order won, and angry about how he was treated

"You're not wrong for being angry." said a voice from behind him. It was Adrianna.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I saw the way you were treated by the others at the Resistance Base. It's no way to treat anyone, let alone someone who risked so much to leave the only home they knew."

"Thanks."

Adrianna paused for a moment and looked at him, her golden brown eyes meeting his.

"Suppressing your emotions isn't healthy, Finn."

"What do you mean?"

"The anger you felt remembering the way you were treated by the Resistance and First Order is justified, but not letting yourself feel it will only lead to more problems in the long run. Being trained as a child soldier, running away only to be electrocuted twice by people you've since come to trust, having others whisper behind your back, those aren't things you can just shrug off. The dark side is fueled by powerful negative emotions. Jealousy, pride, fear, anger, hate, desire, are all components of the dark side, but they also are emotions everyone has. Suppressing them will only make them stronger, and ignoring them will lead them to consuming you. Feel them but don't let them dictate your actions."

"But the Old Jedi-"

"The Old Jedi were foolish to believe suppressing emotions was the best way to avoid the dark side, as those ways helped lead to their ruin."

"Thank you, but how can we rebuild the Order in a way that will last though? It seems every few centuries or eons something happens that nearly destroys the Jedi."

"That I do not know. We have history books that may help but those can only help so much."

Finn and Adrianna entered the Training Grounds together. It was mostly empty when they walked into it, sans a few younglings were play sparring with mock lightsabers, and Rey was practicing on a training droid. He gripped the lightsaber he made from scavenged Stormtrooper armor firmly. It was exactly the blade he pictured wielding, yet something felt missing, and he didn't know what. Rey was too engulfed in fighting the training droid to notice them. Not wanting to break her concentration, Finn looked at Adrianna, and she ignited her lightsaber. He nodded and did the same, and the two began to spar. After an hour or two Atton walked in with two fully constructed lightsabers. Rey stopped practicing with the droid, ran up to him and immediately began asking questions, as did the younglings. Finn and Adrianna stopped training and took a short break so she could talk to him. Finn sat on a bench close by and looked at the lightsabers. One of them had a red and gray grip with a simple hilt, but the other one looked different. It was old but well taken care of, but it looked as if it had not been used in decades. It's hilt was gray and had three spike type decorations on it, but he couldn't tell much else. As if on cue Atton ignited them both. The red and gray hilted one had an orange blade, while the heirloom was purple. As he looked at them he could swear he could see a yellowish hue around the orange one and a blueish hue around the purple. Finn shrugged it off. He wasn't an expert on their construction, especially when it came to other people's. Still, the fact Atton was accompanied by masters made Finn wonder what they were made of.

After a few minutes of questions, Atton and Rey began to train. Rey was doing well against Atton. Training against opponents with two lightsabers was taught early on, and was not hard once you got the hang of it.Something about the lightsabers brought him back to the feeling he had when building his. The feeling he was missing something. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He closed his eyes and imagined himself holding a second lightsaber.


	22. Heart of Stone

Atton couldn't remember which position he was training for before he fell, but he had apparently been doing well. He had trouble remembering his life before he ended up joining the First Order, and so far all the masters could do was suggest meditating. His fall must have done something to his memory. Still from the little he could remember, he was happy until he met Ben. He had family and friends who loved him, and whom he loved in return. Ben was different, he made him feel special, like he was the only one who truly understood him. After Ben had convinced him to turn to the Dark Side he felt powerful, like he could conquer the Galaxy. He felt Now there were only blank spaces where their faces were. He could remember his teachers, his old friends, but not everything else. Despite this he still dreamt of his family. Their faces were blurry. It didn't matter to him though, as he was happy and so were they. Sometimes he wished he could stay asleep forever, but it wasn't his time. All he knew was that the longer he used the Dark side, the more he forgot his past. His family and those he killed started to blend together. He had been so consumed by hatred it was a miracle he was able to remember anything from his past. Whatever happened he told himself it was the will of the force to bring peace, freedom and security to the galaxy. To him it didn't matter the cost, he was doing his duty to Kylo Ren, Snoke and to the Galaxy.  
He still had much to do before he died, and he planned on doing a lot to redeem himself. He wanted to prove he was no longer what The First Order made him. He was no longer what Kylo Ren made him. The First Order had him shed who he once was, but for him it wasn't that simple. He still saw his family, his old friends, even his old masters, in his dreams. He felt the anguish of those he killed. The love of those who died protecting others. He was sure Kylo could feel the call to the Light as well, at least at the time. Perhaps that was why he stayed with the First Order so long. He had sensed conflict in his old friend since the day they destroyed the temple. Every part of him was screaming to go back to Luke and beg for forgiveness and start again. Even when he struck down Voe, Hennix, and Tai he sensed Ben wished them peace. Killing them brought him no joy, yet he still chose to kill them. He thought this call was a weakness, a sign he needed to let go of the past. His conflict only grew when he killed his father. Atton never dreamed he would kill Han, but he was wrong. For all his raving about how he cared more about the Republic than him, something broke in him. From that moment on the conflict in his heart grew. This conflict lasted until Rey rejected him at the ship, leaving him heartbroken and alone. From then on his heart was truly hardened. Any conflict Rey sensed was likely a ruse on his part to pull her to the Dark Side.  
He wondered if Rey knew that. He hadn't really talked to her since their sparring session, and she still seemed to genuinely believe there was good in him. Perhaps there was, but it was buried beneath too much hate. It saddened him, but it was true. The Ben Solo he once knew was dead, and Kylo Ren's heart was too filled with wrath and scorn to ever be truly calmed. Atton felt strangely sad. One of the people he looked up to the most in the world had fallen and chose a path he could no longer follow. He couldn't blame her for it though. He and Leia were the last family she had, of course she would want to see good in him. Luke also managed to save the galaxy however briefly from Palpatine though this line of thinking.  
"Maybe she has a point." a small voice in his mind said. "Maybe family could lead to his redemption."  
He wondered for a moment, then continued on his meditation. Eventually Atton stood up and began to take a walk around his room in an attempt to take his mind off the Dark side. He thought of what little he remembered of his home. He didn't know what happened to his family, as they had been long gone when he and the Masters got to his childhood home. Even so, they probably were dead anyways. He would have been able to sense them if they were alive. All he had left was his lightsabers. Snoke had his followers kill the families of the children he abducted, so they wouldn't have anywhere to go back to if they decided to defect, and this was no different for the Knights of Ren. They had been instructed to kill their families, to prove they were truly loyal. That was the odd thing, even when he arrived at his home, all those years ago, they were gone. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. Still, his family was gone and Snoke was content with the story he gave.  
He had never trusted Supreme Leader Snoke. From the moment he met the…thing that helped corrupt Ben, everything seemed wrong. From the pasty white skin to his malformed body to the smile that crawled across his face when he saw him for the first time. He was visibly pleased that he was there, yet surprised. It was as if he had received an unexpected gift. It was as if he knew something Atton didn't, and he had always been confused as to why. It wasn't like he was a Skywalker, and as far as the Jedi Masters knew the last Force Sensitive in his family joined the Jedi Order twenty years before Anakin Skywalker fell. That still didn't stop Snoke from asking Atton to join Kylo on private missions to learn about the Dark Side of the Force. Snoke had kept a close eye on him for the first few years, and after a while he was trusted to lead missions in the name of Kylo Ren. Of course he rarely completed these as expected, as he would rarely use violence. This always confused him. He had years worth of proof his family was strong with the Light side of the Force, and was less violent than the others, yet he was always treated with a certain amount of favoritism. At the time he didn't give it much thought but now he was concerned why. With Palpatine revealed to have survived his encounter on the second Death Star, he could not help but wonder if he was interested for a reason. According to many of the Masters, his family had been strong with the Force. They were not as strong as Skywalker's, as they were descendants of the Chosen One, but they were still notable in their own right. Atton himself had been an excellent student, something which was noted by Luke. Atton remembered being particularly proud of this fact. While he was no Kylo Ren, his discipline and control was unparalleled. "Maybe that was why he was so interested." he thought.  
Whatever it was, the fact Snoke was interested in him at all terrified Atton more than he cared to admit. It made him wonder about why he couldn't remember his life prior to his fall. Palpatine couldn't be related to him, he just knew it. Still, when he asked the Masters why Snoke and Palpatine were so interested in him, they avoided the topic and looked uneasy. He needed answers but they would not give him any. Something about his family history scared them into silence. He had to know why they feared it so much. As the First Order grew and indoctrinated more planets, now was not the time for secrets. They of all people should know this, as sooner or later they would find Ossus. Rey and Finn had trained as much as they could, and the Resistance couldn't fend them off forever, not with the amount of people they had currently. While the Resistance was spread far and wide, The First Order had managed to block their transmission for help on Crait so no others would come and so that they would believe no one else was willing to fight. The Dark Side thrived on hopelessness, and Kylo hoped that by singling out the head of the Resistance, the rest would fall in line. Still, even if he did manage to kill them, they would just be Martyrs, something that many officers pointed out after the battle of Crait.  
Remembering this, he grabbed one of his new lightsabers. It was the orange one, newly constructed and stared at it while fidgeting with it. He had constructed it from a mask that had allegedly been in his family for generations. The other one, the purple one, was also an heirloom. It had been passed down in secret for generations. Both the Mask and the Lightsaber were said to be thousands of years old, yet they seemed to be hardly used. The last Jedi who had wielded it had apparently been his late aunt, who died before he was born. She had died after being betrayed by the clones who served with her, much like most of the Jedi at that time. The lightsaber was smuggled to them by some of those very same clones, shortly after the Jedi were declared traitors. Apparently there was a conspiracy that the Clones were not in control when they attacked their Jedi. There was truth to this, as when Palpatine was supposedly killed, records showed they had illegal implants in their brains. He was oddly saddened by this. He never knew his Aunt or clone, but the fact so many died or worse because of Palpatine and Anakin made him saddened. Was it the Force's will to see innocents suffer, or was it human nature to conque?  
As he thought of this, he felt his family's lightsaber call to him. He ignited his family's heirloom. The purple blade lit up the room. Nothing happened. As he motioned to turn it back off, a vision flashed before him.  
The place he was seeing was cold, dark, and damp, and he didn't know where it was. The planet around him was corrupted by the Dark Side. He saw the man once known as Ben Solo kneeling before a cloaked figure.  
"The Last of the Jedi continue to evade us." said the cloaked figure.  
"Not for long, Emperor. While we believe there are many Jedi Havens, I heard a rumor of an old Jedi Temple on Dantooine the two of them could be hidd-"  
"The Jedi we are looking for are not on Dantooine, you know this as well as I. They are somewhere else the Galaxy left to rot. Somewhere else, at least."  
"Emperor, we're checking all the known locations of the old Jedi Temples, but unfortunately much of the information about them in the Corasaunt Archives were destroyed or stolen long before I was born."  
"This is most displeasing. I expected more from the Supreme Leader of the Final Order and grandson of Darth Vader." The Emperor made a hand gesture and Kylo began choking and clawing at his throat. "Perhaps one of the other Knights of Ren would make a better fit, such as Deimos or Algea. Maybe even Erebus. Snoke mentioned he was a promising candidate."  
Kylo Ren was turning blue. Palpatine let him go.  
"I will send a list of old Jedi Temples to your ship. Find the location of these Jedi and bring the location to me. I will not tolerate any further delays."  
"Yes my Lord." replied Kylo, gasping for breath.


End file.
